In the New Testament, when the Holy Spirit came, His presence fulfilled that whole list of fragrances found in the holy anointing oil. When New Testament believers were anointed, that anointing was evident. Read it in the book of Acts. "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4). “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly”(4:31). "Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven" (7:55). "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message" (10:44). The list goes on.
The Holy Spirit has not changed. His power and authority have not changed. He is still the third Person of the eternal Godhead. He is among us to teach us all we need to know about Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God.
I am suggesting—indeed, I am stating—that no one among us, man or woman, can be genuinely anointed with the Holy Spirit and hope to keep it a secret. His or her anointing will be evident.
by A.W. Tozer
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
PLAYER OR SPECTATOR?
I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
-Isaiah 6:8
YEARS ago I attended the funeral of Ralph Callahan, a man who at age 93 had been the oldest working journalist in my state, Alabama. Because of his senior status, Ralph liked to say that he had a "license to reminisce." He was especially grateful to still be involved in a profession that he loved. The minister at the funeral talked about Ralph's zest for living, saying that life for Ralph was never a spectator sport. He was a player.
When I joined my church, I asked myself, Will I be a player or a spectator? "Here am I. Send me," we read in Isaiah. But saying yes to a call to discipleship can be hard, especially if it takes us out of our comfort zone. Saying no is easy. I wonder, What if God said no to us as many times as we say no to God?
Saying yes to God and being active in God's work helps us grow spiritually. This doesn't necessarily mean being seen and heard. All of us can serve in quiet and humble ways known only to God. We have many opportunities to do so. Discipleship means being a servant and, as Jesus showed us, putting others ahead of ourselves.
I'm trying to respond when I hear God's call. It's hard sometimes, heeding God's voice. But when we do we receive great blessings.
Ed Williams (Alabama, USA)
-Isaiah 6:8
YEARS ago I attended the funeral of Ralph Callahan, a man who at age 93 had been the oldest working journalist in my state, Alabama. Because of his senior status, Ralph liked to say that he had a "license to reminisce." He was especially grateful to still be involved in a profession that he loved. The minister at the funeral talked about Ralph's zest for living, saying that life for Ralph was never a spectator sport. He was a player.
When I joined my church, I asked myself, Will I be a player or a spectator? "Here am I. Send me," we read in Isaiah. But saying yes to a call to discipleship can be hard, especially if it takes us out of our comfort zone. Saying no is easy. I wonder, What if God said no to us as many times as we say no to God?
Saying yes to God and being active in God's work helps us grow spiritually. This doesn't necessarily mean being seen and heard. All of us can serve in quiet and humble ways known only to God. We have many opportunities to do so. Discipleship means being a servant and, as Jesus showed us, putting others ahead of ourselves.
I'm trying to respond when I hear God's call. It's hard sometimes, heeding God's voice. But when we do we receive great blessings.
Ed Williams (Alabama, USA)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
SIN IS SERIOUS!
(1 Corinthians 5:9-13) I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner - not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person"
Sin is Serious!It seems to be popular in both Christian and non-Christian circles to "judge not." Avoiding judging others is the politically correct thing to do. Yet 1 Corinthians 5 makes it clear that judgment of sin needs to be done in the church. But there are two things that we need to consider in the above passage of Scripture.
Sin Inside the Church vs. Sin OutsideFirst of all, there is a difference in how we are to relate to other Christians (as well as those who claim to be Christians but may not be), and how we relate to those who are not part of the body of Christ. We would have to leave this world if we were to avoid sinful people altogether!
But what about believers who are openly participating in known sin? According to Paul, we are not to even eat with them, and are in fact to put them out of the church. Doesn't sound very politically correct, does it? And yet it is what the Scripture says!
No Tolerance Policy-The sobering reality of the passage in 1 Corinthians is that sin is serious. It is not something that should be tolerated among Christians - including each of us.
Put yourself in the place of someone who needs church discipline. Think about the seriousness of the sin in your life, and come to grips with the fact that continuing in it is not an option. Are there secret sins you are harboring? Are you guilty of ongoing behaviors mentioned in the passage above such as sexual immorality, covetousness and drunkenness? If so, repent! For both God and the church can, and in fact must, judge ongoing, unrepentant sin.
The good news is, there is grace, peace, forgiveness, and restoration to those who turn from their sins.
by Rebecca Livermore.
Sin is Serious!It seems to be popular in both Christian and non-Christian circles to "judge not." Avoiding judging others is the politically correct thing to do. Yet 1 Corinthians 5 makes it clear that judgment of sin needs to be done in the church. But there are two things that we need to consider in the above passage of Scripture.
Sin Inside the Church vs. Sin OutsideFirst of all, there is a difference in how we are to relate to other Christians (as well as those who claim to be Christians but may not be), and how we relate to those who are not part of the body of Christ. We would have to leave this world if we were to avoid sinful people altogether!
But what about believers who are openly participating in known sin? According to Paul, we are not to even eat with them, and are in fact to put them out of the church. Doesn't sound very politically correct, does it? And yet it is what the Scripture says!
No Tolerance Policy-The sobering reality of the passage in 1 Corinthians is that sin is serious. It is not something that should be tolerated among Christians - including each of us.
Put yourself in the place of someone who needs church discipline. Think about the seriousness of the sin in your life, and come to grips with the fact that continuing in it is not an option. Are there secret sins you are harboring? Are you guilty of ongoing behaviors mentioned in the passage above such as sexual immorality, covetousness and drunkenness? If so, repent! For both God and the church can, and in fact must, judge ongoing, unrepentant sin.
The good news is, there is grace, peace, forgiveness, and restoration to those who turn from their sins.
by Rebecca Livermore.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
GRACEFUL RELATING
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
-Habakkuk 3:19
RECENTLY I had a fright while riding my bicycle. I was racing along on a downhill slope when an adult deer darted out from the woods, heading for a collision with me. I swerved and tried to stop, but an accident seemed imminent. To my relief, the deer turned, ran alongside me, and then gracefully dashed back into the woods. Her movements seemed effortless; the whole incident took only seconds. One moment I feared I'd be jolted off my bicycle and badly hurt. The next, I was peering into the woods looking for the gentle creature. I thanked God that I was safe and watched out for deer on the rest of my ride.
Later, as I reflected on the damage a collision might have caused, I thought about God's call for us to be peacemakers. In Romans 12:18 Paul wrote, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." This call gives me hope to grow in my ability to respond gently to others and turn away from causing them harm. In this way, I'm doing my part to live peacefully with others.
With our words or actions, we can either cause collisions or gracefully avoid hurting others. The encounter with that doe encourages me to think of God's power making "my feet like the feet of a deer," enabling me to avoid hurting those around me.
Linda Walstrom (Illinois, USA)
-Habakkuk 3:19
RECENTLY I had a fright while riding my bicycle. I was racing along on a downhill slope when an adult deer darted out from the woods, heading for a collision with me. I swerved and tried to stop, but an accident seemed imminent. To my relief, the deer turned, ran alongside me, and then gracefully dashed back into the woods. Her movements seemed effortless; the whole incident took only seconds. One moment I feared I'd be jolted off my bicycle and badly hurt. The next, I was peering into the woods looking for the gentle creature. I thanked God that I was safe and watched out for deer on the rest of my ride.
Later, as I reflected on the damage a collision might have caused, I thought about God's call for us to be peacemakers. In Romans 12:18 Paul wrote, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." This call gives me hope to grow in my ability to respond gently to others and turn away from causing them harm. In this way, I'm doing my part to live peacefully with others.
With our words or actions, we can either cause collisions or gracefully avoid hurting others. The encounter with that doe encourages me to think of God's power making "my feet like the feet of a deer," enabling me to avoid hurting those around me.
Linda Walstrom (Illinois, USA)
Monday, July 20, 2009
GOD OF THE UNIVERSE
When I look at your heavens ... the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
-Psalm 8:3-4
"DO you ever think we'll put a man on the moon?" In my youth, the answer to that question was usually, "I doubt it." But 40 years ago today, I joined millions around the world who watched Neil Armstrong step onto the lunar surface. Not long ago I gazed into the heavens and watched a streak of light track across the night sky, light from a space station where astronauts orbit miles above the earth. Space is no longer beyond our reach.
The exploration of space has confirmed for us the vastness of our solar system and the universe beyond. I may never travel in space, and certainly I won't be able to reach its limits. Yet every day I can enjoy first-hand closeness with the omnipotent God who spoke all this into existence. The psalmist, who could only imagine what existed beyond the visible heavens, was certain about what existed in the heart of the God who created them: love and concern for humankind. And the psalmist was awed by the concept, as we should be.
Even if I were able to travel past the farthest star, I know that journey could never take me beyond the love and care of God. To me, that truth is more astounding than the vastness of space.
Richard L. Mabry (Texas, USA)
-Psalm 8:3-4
"DO you ever think we'll put a man on the moon?" In my youth, the answer to that question was usually, "I doubt it." But 40 years ago today, I joined millions around the world who watched Neil Armstrong step onto the lunar surface. Not long ago I gazed into the heavens and watched a streak of light track across the night sky, light from a space station where astronauts orbit miles above the earth. Space is no longer beyond our reach.
The exploration of space has confirmed for us the vastness of our solar system and the universe beyond. I may never travel in space, and certainly I won't be able to reach its limits. Yet every day I can enjoy first-hand closeness with the omnipotent God who spoke all this into existence. The psalmist, who could only imagine what existed beyond the visible heavens, was certain about what existed in the heart of the God who created them: love and concern for humankind. And the psalmist was awed by the concept, as we should be.
Even if I were able to travel past the farthest star, I know that journey could never take me beyond the love and care of God. To me, that truth is more astounding than the vastness of space.
Richard L. Mabry (Texas, USA)
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